90. I had too much to dream last night - The Electric Prunes

Another new band to explore, and one with a rather bizarre name, and indeed sound. The Electric Prunes were around in the late 60s, and then split before reforming in 1999. They were part of the burgeoning psychedelic scene, of which an early Pink Floyd were very much part. They had some early success, but when signed they were presented with a pair of songwriters (Annette Tucker and Nancie Mantz) who dominate the material contained on this album. 

The album is only 29 minutes, and is a bit of a mixed bag. The title track is very good, with waves of psychedelia washing over you, and an array of sounds and instrumentation that works together much better than it has any right to. It reminds me of the 13th Floor Elevators; certainly that's no bad thing. There are other good songs, such as the brilliantly titled Are you lovin' me more (but enjoying it less), which is very catchy, and the impassioned Get me to the World on Time, which is toe-tappingly addictive. These cannot offset the frankly terrible Onie and Toonerville Trolley, the latter of which proves that catchiness is no indicator of quality.

The title track peaked at Number 11 in the US, and the follow up Get me to the World on Time managed to get to Number 27, so they had some commercial success. However, their experimentation was a bit too wild for commercial tastes, and a follow up album that linked Gregorian chanting and pop music was never destined to be a breakthrough into the full mainstream.

The album is far too mixed for me to issue it with a particularly high score, as I can't imagine revisiting much of it. There are three good tracks, which is not really sufficient to sustain interest, even when the whole experience lasts only 29 minutes.

Chloe's rating: 5
Chloe's favourite track: 4. Are you lovin' me more (but enjoying it less)
Olly's rating: 5
Olly's favourite track: 1. I had too much to dream last night

Next week we have 186. Fun House - Iggy Pop and the Stooges, which promises to be a fairly visceral experience.